Postal Reform Blog
Biden’s USPS Electric Fleet Mandate a Shock to Taxpayers
Ross Marchand on February 01, 2021Over the past few months, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has seen more than its fair share of turmoil. Thousands of workers are quarantined, net losses remain stubbornly high ($9.2 billion last year), and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s long-overdue operational changes have been met with scorn and conspiracizing.
» Read MoreLawmakers Must Examine Real Issues Plaguing the Postal Service
Ross Marchand on January 26, 2021Most lawmakers and policymakers agree that the United States Postal Service (USPS) is in dire need of reform. Unfortunately, many suggestions for America’s mail carrier to get back into the black fail to address the root causes of the agency’s problems.
» Read MorePostal service needs reform, not a bailout
Ross Marchand on December 21, 2020Another day, another proposal for bailing out the United States Postal Service (USPS). The most recent coronavirus-related relief package would forgive $10 billion worth of loans already given to the struggling agency earlier this year. This loan forgiveness would only succeed in kicking the urgent task of postal reform further down the road. Instead of writing off red ink, President-elect Joe Biden and Congress need to work together with Postmaster General (PMG) Louis DeJoy to change the way America’s mail carrier does business.
» Read MoreHow to debloat the postal bureaucracy
Ross Marchand on July 16, 2019
Job relocations happen every day. Except in Washington, D.C. Tempers flared when the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, announced the impending relocation of more than 500 employees to the Kansas City region, even though the move was set to save taxpayers $20 million per year without hurting the agency’s operations.
» Read MorePostal-Pricing Problems Cost Consumers Dearly
Ross Marchand on June 05, 2019
This article originally appeared in Morning Consult on June 5, 2019.
There is a severe problem with leadership at the U.S. Postal Service as the agency’s fiscal cracks grow wider by the day. In the second quarter of 2019, the USPS reported net losses of $2.1 billion and declining revenues nearly across the board. The one bright spot is shipping and packaging volume (up .3 percent compared to the same quarter last year), but “competitive products” revenue from items such as packages don’t nearly make up for the gargantuan drop in regular mail volume. This “bright spot” may actually exacerbate USPS’ problems unless they lift the veil of secrecy of pricing and make the rates more realistic.
» Read MoreOn World IP Day, Return Mail Case Shows Importance of IP Protection
Ross Marchand on April 26, 2019
World IP Day (April 26, 2019) is a day to recognize the importance of innovators in making all lives easier and better. While the U.S. remains at the top of global intellectual property (IP) rankings, there are still serious threats to IP protection in the U.S.. Since the start of the decade, inventors have increasingly been thrown to the curb as infringers made use of the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB) to render patents invalid in a “streamlined” process absent due process. Now, the federal government (via the United States Postal Service) is trying to push the system’s boundaries, arguing that it should be allowed to have patents invalidated through PTAB without legal recourse. Like most other government agencies, the Postal Service uses the principle of “sovereign immunity” to shield itself against most legal claims. Even when the government can be sued, a different set of rules apply to agencies. If the USPS takes someone’s IP and a court finds that they’ve infringed on an invention, it’s impossible to force the agency to stop use via injunction. The worst that can happen is a financial penalty.
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